The New York State Senate is approving legislation aimed at limousine safety.
It comes after a horrific crash that killed 20 people in Scoharie. It's a ten-bill package, including expanded seatbelt requirements, increased penalties for illegal u-turns, and the creation of a passenger safety task-force in regards to limousine transportation.
In addition, the state Commissioner of Transportation would be allowed to impound or immobilize stretch-limos that fail inspection. Family members of those lost in the 2018 Scoharie crash have endorsed the legislation, as have the families of four young women who were killed in a stretch-limo crash on Long Island in 2015.
The Scoharie crash happened as a group of friends were headed to a brewery. They'd hired a stretch-limo to take them to a birthday party there, but the vehicle failed to stop at the end of a long hill, killing all inside as well as two pedestrians. Inspectors say catastrophic brake failure is likely to blame.